Mar 212013
March 3, 1848 – Robert Findley "Frank" McLaury was born in Merideth, New York. He and his brother Tom would eventually lose their lives in the most famous gunfight in the history of the Old West – the O.K. Corral shootout.
March 15, 1881 – Kinnear & Company's stagecoach that carried $26,000 in Wells Fargo silver bullion was held up near Drew's Station, just outside of Contention City. As a result of the gunfire that ensued, driver Eli "Bud" Philpot and passenger Pete Roerig were killed. Thanks to the quick actions of Wells Fargo agent Bob Paul, the hijackers got nothing. Morgan Earp later captured Luther King, who confessed to holding the horses of the would-be bandits.
March 18, 1882 – Morgan Earp was fatally shot in the back while playing billiards with Bob Hatch in his saloon. A coroner's jury ruled the likely culprits were Frank Stilwell, Pete Spence and Florentino Cruz, a.k.a. "Indian Charlie."
March 20, 1882– Wyatt Earp and "Doc" Holliday accompanied Virgil Earp and the train that took Morgan Earp's body to Colton, California. When they stopped briefly in Tucson, they discovered Frank Stilwell at the train station. The next morning his body was found riddled with bullet holes.
March 22, 1882– Wyatt Earp is believed to have killed Florentino Cruz (a.k.a. "Indian Charlie") at Pete Spence's woodcutting camp.
March 24, 1882– Wyatt Earp is believed to have killed "Curly" Bill Brocius at Iron Springs in the Whetstone Mountains. According to Wells Fargo agent Fred Dodge, he was secretly buried on Frank Patterson's ranch, next to Babocomari Creek. Johnny Barnes was severely wounded in the gunfight that ensued and it is believed he later died from those wounds.
March 28, 1884– A grandstand had been erected adjoining the courthouse where five convicted men were to hang for murder and robbery. Led by Nellie Cashman, who opposed the sale of tickets for a dollar apiece to witness the hanging, a group of miners tore down and made off with the wooden erection. The hangings were subsequently held in the privacy of the courtyard.